In-bin stapling sorters are well known wherein sets of sheets received in the sorter trays are automatically stapled by a stapler which is normally retracted during sorting operations and is moved to a stapling position to automatically apply one or more staples to the set of sheets in the trays.
In the collating of sheets of paper into sets of documents or in segregating sets of sheets in so called sorting machines, it is desired that the sheets forming the sets or documents be aligned or registered to provide a neat package, particularly when the set or document is to be bound or stapled.
In a variety of moving bin sorters, the trays are arranged in a stack of vertically spaced trays which extend horizontally but at an incline from the sheet entry end of the trays, so that the trailing edge of sheets tend to gravitate into alignment against a flange at the lower end of the trays as the sheets are fed into the trays. At the side of the sheets normal to the trailing edge, the sheets may not be closely registered, so that when the set is removed for binding or stapling, an operator may hand jog the sheets into registration in both directions.
Automatic joggers have evolved which are operated to laterally displace sheets in the sorting trays against a standard or vertical wall forming a part of the frame structure for the sorter or against a side flange on the trays. Such joggers have typically been mechanically operated and include a member moved laterally of the sorter trays to engage and move the sheets into engagement with the standard or side edge flange, as referred to above.
An example of such a jogger is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,941. In this construction, jogging of the sheets to provide neat, edge registered sets is important in that the sets are stapled while in the trays by a stapler moved to a stapling position as the trays containing the sets of sheets are successively moved to the stapler. In other sorters, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,634, sets of sheets may be gripped in a set moving device which carries the clamped set to a stapler, so that edge alignment of sheets at the time when the set is gripped is important from the standpoint of stapling a neat set.
Such joggers have involved relatively complicated mechanisms and timing means to cause the jogging action in a sorter which otherwise, has been simplified and made of compact form due to the fact that the trays are sequentially opened to provide a large sheet entry space between trays, while otherwise the trays are close together.
Examples of such sorters, other than that shown in the above referenced patent No. 4,928,941, are the sorters shown in Lawrence U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,911,424 and 5,125,634. In the latter, the sets of sheets are finished or stapled in the trays, so that edge registration is more important than in the other examples in which edge registration is, nevertheless, important.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 889,633, filed May 28, 1992 co-owned herewith, the jogging of sheets is performed as in the case of patent No. 4,928,941 in that the sheets are moved laterally relative to the direction of infeed into the trays as the trays are moved up and down by the tray shifting mechanism. In this sorter, the tray shifting mechanism does not provide any additional space to accommodate the stapler body, either between trays or longitudinally of the trays, but, instead, the stapler body engages and displaces the sets longitudinally as successive sets of sheets are being stapled in the bins.